


Missing Smiles

by TooManyBooksToRead



Series: Fake Maes AU [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gracia/Maes/Roy is mostly implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooManyBooksToRead/pseuds/TooManyBooksToRead
Summary: Daddy was acting really weird.(Her darling Elicia had always been a smart kid.)
Relationships: Elicia Hughes & Gracia Hughes, Elicia Hughes & Maes Hughes, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes/Roy Mustang
Series: Fake Maes AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625317
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	Missing Smiles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [icewhisper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/icewhisper/gifts).



> This took me way too long! Happy Birthday, Crissy, this is one of the first things that was your fault.
> 
> Thanks for the title Cass!

Elicia was sure something was going on.

Momma had been acting weird, and Daddy wasn’t spending time with her.

That would be okay but Papa hadn’t visited in _so long_.

The last time any grown-up had played with her was when Big Sis Winry was here. But Big Sis Winry was gone and Momma had been quiet whenever Daddy was around.

She knew that wasn’t normal. Momma and Daddy were always talking and smiling.

Momma hadn't been smiling as much.

That was bad, Momma should be happy. She had to make Momma smile again.

She thought about when Momma smiled the widest, prettiest smiles, the ones that made her smile too, the ones that got Papa to crack a smile. Those were the best, Papa didn’t smile much so his smiles were always super special.

She turned to the door she heard open, Daddy came through the door and she smiled at him. Daddy may be spending less time with her but that was fine, he had a lot of work to do and as long as Daddy came back to spend time with her and Momma she was happy.

Momma came out from the kitchen to say hi to Daddy. She walked really slow and then stopped in front of him so he could place a kiss on her forehead. Daddy smiled and turned to look at her, she smiled back but there was something weird.

Momma wasn’t smiling, Momma always smiled when Daddy was home.

“How’s my little angel!” Daddy asked moving away from Momma and crouching down in front of her. She frowned, that was also weird, Daddy liked to pick her up when he came home because he knew she liked being held up.

But Daddy was here early so he’d left work to spend time with them, so she smiled very wide and went to hug him. Daddy and Momma were here and she was sure Papa would come back soon, then Momma would smile really really pretty again.

Momma didn’t smile the next day.

Daddy didn’t work today, so he’d be here all day. Daddy had been spending so much time at work, she was happy that Daddy was home.

But Momma hadn’t smiled once.

She had even asked if she wanted to go shopping with her.

That was really really weird. Momma always wanted her to spend more time with Daddy when he was home. It was _weird_ that Momma didn’t want her alone with Daddy.

But she missed Papa, and Daddy was home for _all_ of today so she stayed while Momma got things for dinner.

Daddy took her to the park! There was a pretty doggy she got to pet and a lot of other kids to play with.

Daddy carried her and they got ice cream and he took a picture of her on the swings.

When they got home she rushed to the kitchen to hug Momma, her hugs were always warm and happy. Momma leaned down to hug her and _squeezed_ , she did her best to hug back, to have her hug be just as warm as Momma’s always were. Momma didn’t squeeze when she was happy, she only gave tight hugs when she was not okay.

Elicia hugged Momma and she wondered where Daddy was.

(Somewhere underneath Central he clutched a photo tighter to his chest, the paper wrinkled and the image worn, he held it like a talisman, like it was his tether to life.)

Momma was really silent during dinner. She looked sad too, Elicia did her best to make Momma smile but she was also distracted. She wasn’t talking with Daddy like usual and when she did she took a long time to answer.

Daddy was weird too, he’d been weird since yesterday. But dinner had him acting even weirder. Daddy kept coming home late and Momma kept smiling less and less when Daddy was here and Papa hadn’t come home yet, even though Daddy said he’d gotten to the city.

Neither of them mentioned when Papa was coming, she wanted to give him his picture. She wanted Papa home again.

Momma went to clean up and she waited for Daddy to take her to bed, but Daddy kissed her cheek and went to the kitchen.

Elicia didn’t feel like a story today.

Instead of Daddy, Momma picked her up, she was walking like they did playing hide and seek, and she was holding her really tight.

Momma helped her dress and tucked her into bed, she was tired. But before Momma left she needed to ask, “Momma,” she said, she felt sleepy, “momma, where’s Daddy?”

Momma turned to look at the door, then walked back to kneel next to Elicia putting a finger to her lips. Elicia took a moment to think, because Daddy may have been acting weird or it may not have been Daddy, then nodded. They were playing the quiet game with the man who wasn’t Daddy.

Her door shut behind Momma and she drew the covers tighter around herself. She breathed as her teacher told her to do when she was angry.

She wanted Momma to smile. She wanted Papa to be here.

She wanted Daddy back.

**Author's Note:**

> This one was so hard. I am never writing a child this small again, Elicia I love you but you pov was a nightmare to write. This was supposed to be the second fic I wrote for this series. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the pain.


End file.
